Curiosity
by tess4aria
Summary: Concerning two victims of a different apotoxin and their...adventures together. Overused premise, weird idea of mine, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!  KaiShin   R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: When it Doesn't Kill, it…**_

So...I know the whole 'cat' thing is WAY over-used...especially these days. However, I had to put my own two-sense into the equation. This idea just popped into my head and I had to write it down to get it out.

I hope it isn't too weird! That said, it may be. But I hope it's fun anyway! Please let me know what you think :D

I don't own Meitantei Conan~

Note: "_Text_" [cat speech] "Text" [normal speech] _text _[private thoughts]

_**Please R&R~!**_

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Curiosity really is the darndest thing.

This conviction would come to mean something to Kaito to varied degrees in his life and time as magician-prankster of Ekoda High, and as Kid the Phantom Thief…but it is in the following episode that it is, perhaps, the most relevant…

It all began one night at Tropical Land…we all know the gist of what happened, but in this particular timeline, there were some inexplicable, and all around odd differences which diverged our characters' lives from what we might expect for them. One _not-so-odd _difference, however, came about when a certain magician-thief, hanging out with Aoko and in the middle of being dragged into a haunted house, happened to glimpse a very familiar face waving to a friend of his before racing off after some creepers in trench coats.

Kaito's grin stretched suddenly and widely over his face, mischief and interest flooding him like water from a broken dam. _Well, well_…_Tantei-kun…so this is what you do when you're not chasing innocent thieves around clock-towers…_

He had a sudden, undeniable urge to chase after him, to learn more about the detective who had given him the wildest ride he'd had in a while, and, if he were to be honest with himself, the greatest challenge and thrill he could remember having felt since his father had passed away 7 years before.

And besides, haunted houses were just _so _not his thing…regardless of whether Aoko's promise of a 'swimming surprise' at the end of said house turned out to be her attempt at a sick joke or not.

Regardless, Kaito took his chance when Aoko had iron-grip dragged him into the fun-house ball pit to slip from her clinging hands and make his escape, leaving her with a paper carnation she would later unfold to find a messy-haired insignia and a promise to join her for a 'finny-less' haunted house run sometime…Completing the missive was a little caricature in the bottom, left-hand corner of a certain article of clothing with the words 'sunshine yellow' scribbled messily within.

Needless to say, that evening, a few extra screams supplemented the usual shrill banshee shrieks of the park's haunted house…

And as for Kaito…he was high on the prospect of his childhood friend's annoyance and whatever poor ghoul-dressed actor would have to face the teenage girl's mop-wielding wrath in his stead…he continued to grin about this as he made a beeline for the area that fascinating detective of his had raced off to earlier.

_Oh, Tanteiiiii-kun…_He grinned as he poked his head around corners, frowning when he came up with nothing. After a few minutes of nothing, his brow furrowed and he began to feel irrationally anxious. _Come to think of it, those trench-coat guys looked like bad news..._ As he let his imagination wander down this thread, he felt his body seize up and his heart begin to pound in his head. But then he saw something which wiped his mind clean of anything else-something which grabbed his attention completely. He froze, eyes widening. There was a dark-haired…figure? Man? Child? …slumped on the ground behind some unused park storage shed, wearing the clothes Kaito had most certainly seen Kudou Shinichi wearing only 10 minutes earlier.

But something was off, beyond how strangely ambiguous and difficult it was to determine the facial characteristics of the dark-haired figure wearing the clothes (though that was no doubt connected). Because the figure was changing…wait, was he…it…shrinking? Kaito blinked and crept closer. His breath hitched as the last of the dark hair vanished into the pile of clothes. _What. The. Hell?_

Before he could take another step, or think another half-realized thought, however, someone had grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, roughly, to meet the same cold eyes (unbeknownst to Kaito) Kudou Shinichi had met earlier that evening. Kaito would curse himself for a long time after for letting his curiosity cloud his judgment and attentiveness to his surroundings.

But then, all he could register was a sudden slam of pain to the side of his head, and an odd-tasting _something _stuffed down his throat. Kaito's body was thrown to the side, and he vaguely considered that the detective should have been around here. The magician deliriously wondered if he'd find himself joining him as action-figure-sized momentarily…when horrible, bone-melting, heart-wrenching pain overwhelmed him. And he knew no more.

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The pain was gone when he woke, but he felt so…odd. Everything did. The world was louder, for one thing. But not loud like when a traffic jam overwhelms your senses and obscures things, making it more difficult to pick out a particular noise. Instead, every little night-sound seemed to have suddenly gotten much clearer. Something he wasn't sure he appreciated, honestly. The loud, gruff voices around him were giving him a headache…

But his sense of smell…it was different, too. He wrinkled his nose as he picked out a recently eaten cheeseburger by a man who had to be several yards away. It almost made him gag. He hadn't opened his eyes, yet, but as he struggled to push himself up, something just…wasn't right. He was crouching, but as he tried to push himself further up, he kept losing his balance almost instantly, falling back down. And to be honest, he felt perfectly comfortable standing this way, on all fours. _Standing_? And why was the ground grated?

He finally cracked one eye open, and instantly, his other widened the rest of the way in shock. He was in jail!

No…it wasn't jail. It was too…_what the hell? How can the ceiling be this high_? It was like he was in some kind of monstrously huge animal cage, and all around him, there were dozens of others, stacked up and around. And then he noticed. The cages were occupied. All of them. By large animals. But, they _couldn't _be large, because he knew how large house-cats and Boston terriers were…but most of them, at least, seemed…bigger than he.

Trying to keep his thoughts from drifting into the outrageous slough of solutions which began to pan themselves before his mind's eye, he turned his mind back to his first order of business-at least, the first order of business he could focus on without freaking out about absurd and impossible happenings-and then freaked out anyway as he noticed the very closed, and very locked, door on his cage.

_Now, now, Kaito. Don't be silly. A lock like this is no problem for you_! But when he tried to open said lock, he met with the reality he had been feebly and stubbornly trying to put off. Where human hands should have been, he saw two furry, light-grey paws…Turning his hands, er, _paws_, around to examine them further, he noticed several little pink pads. He wrinkled his nose as he noticed their unkempt appearance, and automatically lifted his right paw to his mouth and licked it clean with his tongue.

_Ergh! What am I doing?_

He didn't have time to think about it for long, however, before a large door opened, unnatural light from the park outside flooding the dark enclosed area, and a scraggly-looking man approached his cage with something in his arms. Something wet. Kaito's eyes widened. Held firmly around its stomach in the man's grip was the limp body of a little tiger kitten, blue eyes opened dazedly, tracking around every-which-way until they found Kaito, fixing on him penetratingly, and practically screaming their confusion. Kaito felt as if a bolt of lightning had shot through him as they continued to settle on him. He'd _seen_ those eyes before. And they sure as hell did NOT belong on a kitten.

Kaito opened his mouth to say something, when the little kitten in the man's hands began to struggle, eyes widening in sudden fear.

"Now, now, it's okay. In you go with the other one…"

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**Kaito POV**

I could barely breathe as the man fumbled with the latch to my cage, struggling to keep a hold on the kitten in his left. Opening the door, he roughly tried to shove the kitten in beside me but the wet thing had some spunk, that's for sure. Again, I could see total fear and confusion in his eyes, and I knew the same look just _had_ to be in mine, but my soon-to-be-cellmate seemed to be just about as fond of the idea of being locked up as yours truly. In a sudden movement, he'd reached up with his paw and scratched the man's hand, making to bolt out the not-yet-closed door. It was a good shot, but it wasn't enough. The man tried to reach for him, and that might have been the end of the tiger cat's bet for freedom, except that the man clearly didn't expect another escapee to deal with as well...

I didn't have time to think, but just lunged forward and shoved the kitten from behind, giving him a burst of speed and helping him to scramble out from under the man's clumsy, huge, grasping fingers. This distracted him well enough, and then I, too, leapt from the cage and out of the van, racing under the man's legs into the freedom of the night.

I was seriously tempted to make a victory whoop, but at the second, I was too concerned with where my partner-in-crime had raced off to. _There_! A little ways ahead, scrambling under the park gate, was the little blue-eyed tiger kitten.

_He's pretty fast…_I grinned a little, suddenly thrilled at the challenge this quarry was providing me, and I took off after him.

As I ran, it occurred to me that I didn't have to think about it at all to make use of my changed limbs. It felt totally natural to run this way, on all-fours. If I were to be honest with myself, the fact that I'd become a cat- _A fucking cat! -_was mildly (or rather, _extremely_) terrifying and mind-shatteringly crazy, but…I pushed it aside as I refocused on my current assignment. Follow him. Catch him.

_Well, that's ironic. Who's chasing who now, Tantei-kun_? And hey, just _why_ was I so sure this kitten _was _Kudou Shinichi, the great Detective of the East, my one-time (and yet greatest) rival to date?

Well, as for the whole cat hypothesis in general...the fact that I was running on all-fours and seeing so clearly in the dark, cloudy-night streets, and that I could smell him and hear him and…well, that I only came up to the ankles of the people I ran by and under…that was one big part of it. That I'd seen him, and his clothes, there before me, and that I was almost sure I'd seen him shrinking…that was a big part of it.

But most of all, those eyes were responsible. They were captivating, and beautiful. I hadn't had the chance to notice them before. Not really. There were too many other factors at play that night at the heist. I had only been able to glimpse him from where he stood in the police helicopter for an instant as he fixed me with that piercing expression.

But I would have recognized it anywhere. And that look had definitely been in the eyes of that tiger kitten.

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**Normal POV**

As Kaito continued the chase along dark sidewalks, it began to rain. He cursed under his breath, but what came out wasn't any curse he'd ever heard…more like a strangled, low growl. Though it still felt like he'd cursed well enough. But the rain was _so _not okay in his book. His fur was getting matted already, and his feet were soggy, and little rocks were sticking into his toe-pads and…ugh!

For a while, he'd been running right behind the other kitten-they seemed to be pretty on-par speed-wise, but Kaito was just a little more used to running-though, admittedly, usually FROM people. But the detective was in the opposite boat. Practiced at chasing, not so much at fleeing, or being chased. But he was holding his own. Kaito smiled a little at the thought. Even changed, his rival was still his rival.

But the rain was really awful, and something had to be done about their situation. The chase was fun, but the insanity of the situation was beginning to take its toll on the magician-thief-turned-feline after all.

They had come to a smaller street with over-large houses lining it, and Kaito suddenly became very aware of how much his feet were hurting. But the little form in front of him was still running frantically. With another burst of energy, Kaito pushed himself on, and yelled out "_Wait up_!"

Or, so he'd intended to say. What had actually come out was a loud mewling cry, though it still registered in his mind as meaning the same thing. The way the kitten before him hesitated ever-so-slightly, looking back in surprise and slight fear before starting again, suggested that the words hadn't only made sense to him.

_Oh, he's being stubborn…fine. Time to throw in my ace. _

"_I mean it! Just stop for a second, Kudou_!"

This time, the kitten froze. As Kaito finally caught up to him entirely, Shinichi turned slowly, stiffly, to fix his penetrating blue orbs on him.

"_Wha-what did you say_?" He asked in a soft, shocked mew.

Stopping right next to him, Kaito cocked his head slightly and said, semi-casually, "You're _Kudou Shinichi, right? The high school detective of the East? The one who went up against Kaitou Kid that night at the clock tower_?"

Shinichi blinked at him in shock. "H_-how do you...How do you know me? You're a cat_," he said, simply.

Kaito blinked back at him, more amused than offended. "_So are you_," he pointed out.

If cats could roll their eyes and stomp in frustration, Shinichi would have done just that. As it was, though, he just made an awkward attempt, which ended up looking quite comical. Kaito had some trouble suppressing a little sound of amusement at this, and when he didn't back down under the fierce glare Shinichi then sent his way, the detective narrowed his eyes, looking at him more directly. Kaito turned his dark indigo eyes, now the most outwardly-human thing about him, up to meet Shinchi's gaze with equal intensity, and he heard a little gasp from Shinichi.

"_And to respond to your question...am I_?" Kaito said, smiling knowingly into the cerulean orbs which were perfectly level with his.

Shinichi twitched his ears in consideration, and suddenly seemed to be just as interested in Kaito as the former magician was in him. Shinichi's gaze held more distrust and fear in it than the other's, however.

"_Um_," Kaito then siad, somewhat awkwardly, "_Sorry, but do you think we could keep walking as we talk? If I don't get out of this rain, soon, I_…" He shuddered a little.

At the reminder, Shinichi seemed to instantly notice the bedraggled state of his own fur, and without a word, slipped away down the street.

Kaito followed him silently, wondering where tantei-kun (_though I suppose now, he'd have to be tantei-neko_, Kaito thought in slight amusement) had in mind to go. He seemed to have some kind of plan, if the purpose he was moving with was any indication.

Just where they were headed became clear a minute later, when they suddenly stopped before the tall gates of a much taller and almost terrifyingly-imposing mansion (to the height-diminished perspectives of the two drugged young men, at least). The name plate to the gate's immediate right clearly read _Kudou_, something which cleared up many of Kaito's questions about why the detective had chosen to come here.

Without a sound, Shinichi began moving again, Kaito right behind him. They were so tiny that it was no problem to slip between the bars of the front gate, but entering the actual house was more problematic.

"_Dammit_…" Shinichi began. "_How can we_…?"

Kaito began to circle the house a bit, before nodding in satisfaction and returning to the front porch where the tiger kitten was sitting with one paw placed awkwardly on his chin in what was clearly Shinichi's human thinking pose. Kaito couldn't help but laugh. "_I don't think you can pull that off as well in this form, you know."_

Shinichi glared, but otherwise ignored him. Talking half to himself, he said, "_Well, maybe if I go to Agasa-hakase's place, he could at least take me in until I figure out what to do…"_

"_Agasa? Is he your neighbor_?"

Shinichi simply flicked his tale in affirmation.

"_Oh. Well hold on, Kudou. What makes you think he'll take you in? It's not like his first thought will be: 'Oh, this cat has Shinichi's eyes! Just in case he IS Shinichi, guess I shouldn't send him to the pound!' See, that's not likely, is it? And what if he were to do the opposite? Do you want to end up back in that van?"_

Shinichi blinked a little, and then fixed Kaito with a surprised glance. "_Oh. You're…I guess you're right. And_," eyes widening in realization, he continued, "_you helped me get out of that cage earlier, didn't you? Uh, thanks_…" Shinichi still felt awkward speaking normally with a person who, no matter how you were to look at him, clearly _appeared_ to be 100% cat…but in light of his own similar situation, and the lack of response humans around him seemed to have to anything he tried to say, he figured he couldn't afford to be picky about his choice in conversation partners.

Kaito, however, seemed to be taking things much more in stride (at least, outwardly), and just made a noncommittal twitch of his ears to say, 'no problem.' Then, his eyes taking on a mischievous quality, he said, "_And follow me. I've found a way in_."

Blinking in surprise, but following the grey, striped kitten's lead, Shinichi soon found himself scrambling after him over flower vases, hanging plants and railings until they had clambered, awkwardly, onto a window-sill with a slightly-open window.

There had been one somewhat terrifying moment during the climb when Shinichi had been over-confident, thinking he'd gotten the hang of his cat reflexes enough to make a particularly daring leap from flower vase to window-sill, and his little paws had scraped feebly on the slippery, rain-wet surface. Just in time, however, the grey kitten had raced to him, and quickly clamping his mouth on the back of Shinichi's neck, had managed to pull him up the rest of the way.

Heart pounding, and feeling vaguely surprised by how little it had hurt to be grabbed that way, though it had, admittedly, left him feeling limp and powerless in the other kitten's grip, Shinichi muttered a soft "_thank you_," receiving a cheerful _'no problem_!' in response.

When they were finally safely in the Kudou family living room, both kittens found the stress, discomfort and insanity of the evening slamming into them…like weak, limp zombies, they trudgingly climbed the somewhat overwhelming flight of stairs, one step at a time, to a new room Kaito immediately figured to be Shinichi's bedroom.

Looking up at his bed with weary eyes, Shinichi readied his haunches before springing up the three feet or so to make his way onto his twin bed. Kaito followed, and for a minute, just padded around on the blankets, warming and drying his paws.

Shinichi, who had already curled up beside a pillow, opened an eye and glared at him. "_Hey. Do you mind_?"

Kaito pouted. "_Well it isn't my fault it had to start stupid raining on us! I have to get dry somehow_!"

Shinichi blinked once and sighed. "_Sorry…I'm just_…" Looking more closely at the grey kitten, it occurred to Shinichi just how little he really knew about him, and how little he'd said to him despite his continual attempts to be cheerful and to help him… And apparently, this kitten was no more a kitten than he, and unless he were much mistaken, had likely been through the same horror he had earlier this evening. Shinichi said as much.

Once the detective had finished, Kaito looked at him sardonically, stretching his limbs. "_Yep. Funny story, actually. Believe it or not, I was trying to help you. I saw you disappear behind that building. Didn't see the whole thing, though, so I didn't know what to expect when they decided to include me in their little science-fiction freak-show."_

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. "_But..why? Why were you following me in the first place? Uh…"_

"_Kaito. Kuroba Kaito_."

"_Uh, Kuroba-sa_-"

"_Just call me Kaito. Honestly, Shinichi, I don't think we're in the position to hold onto formalities, do you_?"

Shinichi had to chuckle at that, albeit a little darkly. "_Fine. But you didn't answer my question_."

Kaito shifted uncomfortably. Shinichi cocked his head and fixed his penetrating stare on him and Kaito gulped. "_Well…I was with my friend and she was forcing me to go on this…well, that's not important, but you interest me, tantei-kun. I wanted to see what you were up to_."

"_And how do you know me? I don't remember meeting anyone named Kuroba Kaito before_…" There was obvious distrust layering Shinichi's tone, and some definite reserve in the tightness of his muscles and narrowed eyes as he watched Kaito carefully.

"_Maybe a cat isn't the only thing I become under the_ _moonlight_," Kaito joked.

"_Oh, shut it_." But then Shinichi's eyes widened and he looked at Kaito fiercely, the grey kitten jumping back a little in surprise. "_What did you just call me?"_

"_Uh…Shinichi_?" Kaito squeaked.

"_No…you_…" It was very clear in his mind-the personal invite he'd received days previous to Kaito Kid's next heist, very clearly addressed to… "_Tantei-kun. You called me tantei-kun."_

"_Well, you're a detective, aren't you?"_

_"And you're Kaitou Kid, aren't you?"_

It was absurd, seemed beyond the pail…but, then again, as messed-up as things already were, one more crazy unlikely occurrence shouldn't have surprised him, should it have?

But nevertheless, at the surprised look washing over the innocent-looking purple-eyed kitten's face, Shinichi's breath hitched. _He __**is**__…_

Shinichi stared at him for a time in shock. _At least I know who I'm dealing with, now. And honestly, from what I've seen of this thief, he isn't all that bad. Pretty moralistic, really. Especially for a criminal, but, besides his law-breaking tendencies, his motivations seem to be pretty well-intentioned…And it's not like he keeps anything he steals. _Shinichi chuckled a little at the memory of the clock tower_. Guess it makes sense why he had no trouble helping with the escape and the break-in._

Internally, he let out a sigh of relief, and part of him that had been on lock-down, locked away due to shock to protect himself, revealed itself a little, and he felt a feeble happy flutter in his chest. For no matter how odd the messenger, it was nice to have this reminder of his life, his real life, when he looked like this. It made it more bearable, in a lot of ways, to know that not only was the other person in this situation with him quite similarly inconvenienced, their being rivals and equals in so many ways…and also to just know that they, at least, knew what the other was capable of, knew _who_ the other was. To know that this little grey kitten was the notorious, enigmatic Kaitou Kid also did something to lighten the embarrassment Shinichi, himself, felt at suddenly becoming something so vulnerable, small enough to make itself quite at home in a shoebox…

It was then that Shinichi noticed just how wet and messed-up Kaito's fur still was, and how all-around miserable and pitiful he looked that way.

Feeling a sudden rush of amusement and affection for the little thief-turned-kitten, Shinichi pushed to all fours and approached Kaito, who was watching him with wide, deep, indigo eyes.

Something within Shinichi, now that his human anxiety about his fellow sufferer's identity was abetted, awakened as he looked at Kaito's wet, miserable and blood-caked condition. It was a deep instinct within him, slumbering until that point, which overran his human sense and thoughts. Finding himself too tired to fight it, Shinichi submitted to the natural pull within him, and he sat down on his haunches behind the grey kitten and began to gently lick Kaito's wet fur with his scratchy tongue. Closing his eyes, he moved closer, and made quick work of Kaito's cheek, ears and forehead.

Kaito was frozen in shock. This was _so_ not a turn of events he could ever have predicted. But it felt…really nice. Closing his eyes in response, he curled up at Shinichi's soft feet as the other kitten continued to clean him, giving extra attention to the head wound he'd all but forgotten about. The care Shinichi put into the ministrations really touched him, and he felt safe and…almost sane…for the first time since that trench coat-wearing man had hit him.

The instant he had finished cleaning the wound, Shinichi seemed satisfied and backed up. The loss of warmth made Kaito make a soft little whine of protest, and the sound seemed to return Shinichi to his senses. Blinking and wondering about the taste in his mouth and his position right behind Kaito's curled-up body, he suddenly remembered just what had happened under the influence of his cat instincts, and he jumped back, fur instinctively bristling as he spat.

Kaito turned his head around and blinked at him, pushing to his feet and approaching him, not in the least intimidated by Shinichi's attempts to distance himself and look fierce. Gently nuzzling Shinichi's soft neck from behind, feeling the neko-tantei tense up under him immediately, Kaito mewed softly, "_Thank you, Shinichi_," before returning the favor, cleaning the wound on the back of Shinichi's head which was clogged with dirt and grime, matting with blood in his fur.

For a few seconds, it seemed as if Shinichi were about to bolt, and perhaps give Kaito a deep scratch for good measure…but then the sensation and the innate understanding of what Kaito was doing for him, and the protective meaning of it all hit him, and he relaxed, slumping down on the bed as Kaito continued to lick him. After cleaning Shinichi's head-wound, Kaito's rough tongue moved up to work on his ears, and in his ears, and Shinichi shuddered a little, pressing closer into the warmth of the soft body pressed again his.

Kaito continued to clean him, even as he curled up behind him, their bodies pressed together, sharing precious warmth until they fell asleep.

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They weren't sure how much time had passed when the door flew open violently. Leaping up suddenly and hissing in fear, Shinichi pressed backwards into Kaito who had jumped up just as he had. Shinichi's body relaxed but then tensed again, differently this time, as he recognized the person who had burst in.

"Shinichi?" Ran asked before blinking. Blinking again, eyes widening, she suddenly ran forward to the bed, a wide smile stretching over her lips.

Shinichi blinked back, and Kaito tipped his head to look at him inquiringly. "_The childhood friend, I presume?"_

Shinichi vaguely flapped his tail against Kaito's back, affirming this, but no sooner had he completed this action that he was swept up into the arms and against the chest of said childhood friend.

"Oh, you're so cute! Oh my goodness!" Ran beamed at him, gently nuzzling him in her hands with her cheek before reaching down and clutching Kaito in her hold as well, both kittens pressed cozily (or awkwardly, in their opinions) together.

Sitting down on the ground with them, Ran began to stroke behind their ears. Much to Shinichi's chagrin, he noticed that this almost immediately made him go limp in a kind of incredibly pleasant sleepiness. Eyes closing, he rubbed forward against her hand and into Kaito who was beside him. Based on the way Kaito was rubbing right back into him, Shinichi had the feeling he was getting the same treatment.

But at the moment, it didn't matter. All that did was the lovely rubbing sensation and that she continue it. Ran's tinkling laughter knocked him out of his trance, and he blinked, feeling embarrassed, as he noticed he was standing on his hind paws, head and chest pressed against Ran to get more out of the touch.

Kaito, however, was rubbing at his side, and had begun licking him again. At the thought, a low rumble started in Shinichi's throat, and he left Ran's chest to rub up against Kaito, gently licking him back. Then he froze in horror. _What. Is. Wrong. With. Me?_

But Kaito's presence was undeniably incredibly comforting, and he just…Shinichi shook his head roughly. _Stop it, Shinichi. You are not a cat, for god's sakes! Don't give in to these…urges…_

He gritted his teeth a little bit, but then felt several pairs of eyes on him. Kaito had stopped his ministrations and looked moderately sheepish as he backed away from Shinichi, and Ran was smiling even more widely than before.

"You two are so adorable together! Are you brother and sister?"

Shinichi opened his mouth to correct her, but, of course, his attempt at "_Ran, of course not_!" came out as several cute mewling cries.

This melted Ran even further, and she pulled Shinichi in for another hug. Kissing him lightly on the head, she said, "Are you two Shinichi's cats? But that jerk just vanished tonight! And I don't see any cat food or cat litter or anything around! That detective maniac! How can he expect to take care of two kittens if he can't even remember to feed them?"

Her voice was suddenly so irate that Shinichi took an instinctual step backward, forgetting momentarily that she didn't know he _was _actually Shinichi. He gulped, but the cat-smirk Kaito then gave him transformed his anxiety into annoyance. Whapping him with his tail, Shinichi smirked back before looking up at Ran, trying to get her to understand.

It was quite clear, however, that there was little hope that evening of Ran suddenly realizing that the friend she was looking for was actually the cat looking up at her cutely. Rather, Ran looked at both of them, scratching them once again behind the ears, and saying, beaming, "I have an idea. I'll leave a note for mister Holmes-fanatic, and I'll take you home with me! Seriously, he doesn't deserve to have such precious kittens. Okay, you guys? Be good and I'll be back in a minute." And with another quick pat to each of their heads, Ran raced through the door.

"_Hey, Shinichi. We aren't seriously going to go live with her, are we?"_

Shinichi made a little noncommittal flick of his ears as he turned to look at Kaito. _"I can't see a better alternative, at the second. At least with Ran we won't end up in a cage or in the gutter, and besides…" _Suddenly, Shinichi's air was much more confident, and more optimistic. "_Her father's a detective-a bad one, but still. They live in a detective agency. If we stay there, we might hear about the goons who did this to us…it could be our best chance,_" he finished quietly.

Staring at him, Kaito then made a little sound of understanding. _"I guess that makes sense, then. But Shinichi…"_ And his tone, clear despite the interference by mode of meowing, turned mischievous. "_Are you sure you don't just want an excuse to be around your girlfriend? Looks to me like you'll have plenty of chances for close contact!"_

Shinichi glared fiercely at him, taking his front paw and swatting at him. Kaito laughed, leaping straight up and back, landing several feet away from Shinichi on the bed. "_What's wrong, Shin-chan?"_

"_Don't call me that_," Shinichi deadpanned at him. "_And anyway_…" his tone turned suddenly more serious, but some definite humor and exasperation directed at Kaito's prying tinted it. "_Everyone thinks Ran and I are an item, but it isn't true. Sure, I think I liked her when we were in middle-school for a bit, but…we both moved on a while back. Ran's liked someone else for a while, and I…_"

"_And you_?" Kaito pawed up to him, head tilted in interest.

Shinichi felt flustered somewhat as those wide indigo eyes watched his every move, and then that, itself, confused him. "_Do you have someone you like_?" Kaito pushed, genuine interest clear in his expression.

"_I haven't…met anyone_," Shinichi answered softly, no longer able to meet Kaito's eyes. Again, this confused him somewhat, but he didn't feel up to considering it further.

Kaito seemed satisfied for the time being, however, and moved a bit closer, rubbing his cheek against Shinichi's.

"_Wh-what are you doing_?" Shinichi squeaked.

Kaito's eyes gleamed at him. "_Nothing. Just felt like doing that_," he answered cheerfully.

"_God, you're infuriating_…" Shinichi began, but this only made Kaito let out a little mewling laugh before rubbing up against him again.

Before Shinichi could say anything else, Kaito said, "_Well, fine. We'll go stay with Ran-san. The ball's in your court, though, Tantei-kun. I'm trusting you on this_~"

Shinichi was about to respond again when Ran returned with a little cat carrier.

"Let's see, I stuffed some old covers in here for padding, you guys. I hope it's soft enough!" Both cats met eyes with expressions of equal distate, neither thrilled at the prospect of having to ride in anything as restrictive as a cat carrier…_It's a step up from that steel cage, but still…_

Looking at Ran's cheerful, expectant expression, however, Shinichi sighed. Glancing out the window, he muttered to Kaito, _"Come on, Kaito. It's raining anyway, so at least this way we won't get wet…"_

Ears twitching at this, Kaito growled softly, _"Oh, fine…stupid weather. Tricking me into a cell…" _before following Shinichi reluctantly into the carrier. _I can't believe this! I'm literally walking into a small enclosed area! This isn't just some huge prank of Tantei-kun's to get me to jail myself voluntarily, is it?_

Kaito laughed to himself at the thought, and his annoyance at their mode of transportation lessened somewhat as he almost bumped noses with the other not-cat in their small compartment. Looking up at him, it occurred to Kaito just how adorable Shinichi looked. His blue eyes shone brilliantly from his black and beige-grey striped fur, a little white-grey patch on his chin. He'd known him personally for only a few hours, but the detective already had him melting at one glimpse of those eyes… _this doesn't bode well, _Kaito thought, chuckling to himself...

But honestly, he couldn't find it in himself to mind. The whole cat thing aside, Shinichi just felt like someone he could trust. After meeting him once on the moonlight stage, he'd been impressed. Fascinated. And now, meeting him for real, even in…quite extraordinary circumstances…he felt relief that at least, if he were to be stuck with someone, it was this detective.

And that was odd. Normally, the thought of being stuck living in such close quarters with a detective or any other law-enforcer-type would have sounded like hell. Veritable _No Exit _to the Phantom thief. But he just couldn't feel that way about Shinichi. He was different, somehow. And part of it was just a feeling he gave him, something in his gaze. something about him; there was just something inherently different about this detective, and it resounded with him strongly.

Ran beamed through the door as she closed it, sticking her fingers through to try to pet the soft little passengers within. Neither were particularly willing to oblige her this time. It was one thing to submit to cat instincts and let her pet them when they were out and they had some choice in the matter, but now-they were already stuck in the cat carrier, for god sakes! How much humiliation did they need?

Ran continued to talk to them in a sugary, babyish voice as she lifted the carrier in her hand, and the not-kittens within instantly began to struggle to use their newfound sense of balance to avoid falling over completely.

Cat balance wasn't full proof, they soon learned, and when Ran picked them back up after locking the door to the Kudou mansion, hurriedly trying to wrench them from the dripping drain pipe positioned over them which was close to leaking into their crate (a sudden movement which effectively threw Shinichi into Kaito), the transformed humans found themselves in an awkward heap in the corner of the carrier.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Ran squeaked, eyes widening in concern. Shinichi grumbled, saying, _"yeah, yeah. Just be careful, will you?" _before groaning upon realizing she wouldn't understand him anyway…Noticing her worried eyes were still peering in at him, he sighed and tried a different tactic. Pushing off of Kaito's side where he'd been half-lounging, he blinked up at her and made a short, clear meow, translating to "_I'm just fine_!"

At his bright little sound, Ran smiled and tickled his chin before setting off, looking much relieved. As she continued to walk them along towards her place, Kaito found himself watching Shinichi across the little crate-room.

"_What_?" Shinichi asked.

"_You're a really nice guy_," Kaito observed.

Shinichi blinked at him. "_Huh_?"

Kaito made a noncommittal mew and waved his tail in a shrug-like motion. "_Smart, too. We can't speak Japanese (or, well, human, I guess) right now, but you got her to understand what you wanted her to, anyway. It was a good tactic, and I'm sure we can put similar things to use in the future. We'll have to_…" he added softly.

Shinichi listened intently, feeling suddenly warm at the compliment and seriousness of Kaito's tone. "_It was nothing, Kaito," _he responded softly_. "But…you're right. We have to figure out ways for people to understand us without using any recognizable human language. I wonder if we can_?"

"_We can_," Kaito said instantly, reassuringly. "Kudou _Shinichi and Kaitou Kid working together? What couldn't we do_?" And he gave a little smirk.

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><p>Thanks for reading! I hope this wasn't too...weird...and that it was enjoyable! Please let me know and review!<p>

The next chapter will be out in the next day or so~

Thanks again!

tess4aria


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: You might as well make the best of it...**_

Thank you SO much for your reviews! I appreciate your feedback so much! I originally wrote this to be short-just a chapter or two...but I've changed my mind, as the plot just started blooming naturally...and your reviews convinced me! So yay...Just to note, I will loosely follow the events as they play out in the anime, but certain cases, etc., I will skip over or change. Just to make that clear ;)

And without further ado, onto the story!

I do not own Meitantei Conan~

_**Please R&R~! Thanks!**_

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><p>oOo<p>

On their way to the detective agency, they stopped by a pet shop for Ran to pick up some temporary supplies. Grinning happily afterwards, purchases in hand, she picked the cat carrier back up with her other and brought her new charges the rest of the way home.

"Here we are!" Ran announced cheerfully.

"Ran, what took you-" Kogorou muttered sleepily from behind his desk, its surface peppered in empty beer cans. "And what's all that for?" He indicated the carrier and bags with one of his beer cans.

Ran rolled her eyes, and, setting the carrier by her feet, marched forward, hands on her hips. "Tousan! I told you earlier on the phone! I'm going to watch Shinichi's cats for a day or two!"

"Well they better not give me any trouble," he grumbled before half-stumbling into his room and slamming the door.

With a sigh, Ran bent down and unlatched the carrier, releasing the little captives from their prison.

Kaito bolted out, tail high, and instantly began to race around the room, savoring the freedom of being able to stretch his limbs to their fullest. With a few squeaky mews (to Ran) and some "_Watch this, Shin-chan!"s_ (to his fellow not-cat), he leapt onto the back of the couch, racing back and forth at a frantic pace before leaping off, doing a quick roll and landing on his feet.

Ran stared in shock, but the other kitten just yawned widely as he emerged from the crate, watching Kaito's antics with bored eyes. "_Great, Kaito. So you can land on your feet. That's so original for a cat."_

Kaito pouted from the couch armrest he'd just leapt back up onto. "_But do most cats roll like I just did?"_

"_Most cats don't have human intelligence, Kaito,"_ Shinichi deadpanned, sighing and shaking his head.

Ran watched the two kittens, wide-eyed. Was it just her, or had those two just had a very human-like conversation? She couldn't understand them, of course, but the way they answered each other with mews of different tones…and considering their body language, which…did cats shake their heads normally? Because the darker tiger-striped kitten definitely had, and the way he was watching the other, it was as if he'd been telling him he was unimpressed…

Ran shook her head. _You're over-thinking things, Ran. Of course cats can communicate in one way or another, but that doesn't mean they're having a human-level conversation! It must have just been a coincidence…_

But she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something about these cats was just…different. And then, as she began to unpack the things she'd bought at the pet store, she felt as if she were being watched, and looking down, locked gazes with two pairs of really extraordinary eyes.

The little light grey kitten, with white and black lines from his nose to his forehead, had brilliant purple eyes which were shining up at her in curiosity and amusement. She couldn't help smiling down at him, and reached down to stroke his chin. Then her eyes passed to the other, and his eyes, now that she really looked, almost made her drop the cat bowl she'd picked from the bag with her right hand.

They were a dark, very familiar blue, and incredibly penetrating. Extraordinarily intelligent. She felt both a kind of affectionate warmth in this kitten's gaze and a kind of…sadness-a fear-which just _didn't belong in a cat's eyes, _she couldn't help but think_._

Both kittens were extraordinary, she decided, but the blue-eyed cat was just…_he reminds me of Shinichi._ _His eyes do, at least. If Shinichi were a kitty, I'd want him to look like this. _She laughed at the thought, at her silliness, but her laugh faltered when she noticed the eyes were still regarding her closely, searchingly.

"U-um, so anyway!" Ran started to break the odd tension in the room, "You two must be starving, right? Let's see…" She frowned. "Oh no, this isn't kitten food…How could I have been so stupidly distracted?" She frowned again as she brought out a little can of puppy food, and then frowned at her watch. "Oh no, the store will have already closed for the night...Ugh, I can't believe myself!"

Looking down apologetically at the kittens, who seemed to have exchanged a look before sitting back to watch her patiently, she said, "Oh, I know! It isn't perfect, but it'll do well enough…One sec, you two!" And grinning down at them, she ran around the kitchen, rustling through her cabinets and fridge. With a smile, she placed a little saucer of milk between them. "Okay, then, drink up!" She beamed.

Shinichi and Kaito glanced up at her, and then glanced at each other, mentally shrugging, neither totally thrilled about…first of all, having to share a plate of liquid that they would both be licking from…and second of all, the fact that they would have to eat this way in the first place: on the floor, from a saucer, without the aid of utensils or hands…

They were undeniably hungry, though, and so swallowed their pride and tried the cold milk. And they had to admit, it was delicious. Much better than either could remember milk as being. Seeing they were eating, Ran left them to their own devices for the time being, racing to her room as the kittens continued their meal.

"_At least it's not kitten food, right Shin-chan?" _Kaito paused to say.

"_True. Guess we can thank Ran for being forgetful, for once," _Shinichi responded, amusement in his voice. After a slightly pregnant pause from Kaito, Shinichi said, somewhat indignantly, _"What?"_

Kaito blinked and then let out a mewling laugh, pointing one paw up in a very un-cat-like manner to point at Shinichi across the milk bowl. "_You have…milk all over your…face and you're…"_ He continued to laugh as Shinichi growled at him, attempting to wipe off the milk beard he now sported with his tongue and paw.

Kaito looked up and laughed again. _"You missed a spot!"_

"_Ugh. Just tell me where, for god's sakes…"_ Shinichi grumbled, moving to find a reflective surface.

"_If you want, I could lick it off, you know," _Kaito quipped, and Shinichi turned suddenly and let out a fierce hiss. "_You bastard, keep your hands and tongue to yourself!" _

He then ran around to the back of the couch so Kaito wouldn't notice how flustered that statement had made him. When he got there, though, the neko thief was waiting for him, as close to grinning as a cat could get.

Shinichi backed up, fur bristling.

"_Come on, Shin-chan, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings~ I just thought I could help! I mean…you do look cute that way…a little too tempting if you know what I mean!" _And he winked.

Shinichi just growled more, backing away from Kaito before lashing out at him with his paw. Part of him was a little too aware that he was using his anger to cover up his embarrassment, but he was NOT going to let the thief know that!

Blinking at him innocently, Kaito moved closer, completely unperturbed when Shinichi's growls and hisses heightened in volume. _"Don't be scared, Shin-chan," _Kaito sang. Shinichi's eyes were frozen wide-open as Kaito lifted his paw and gently brushed away the milk stain from his upper lip.

Shinichi stared.

"_See? I can restrain myself, Shinichi. When it's that important to you, at least…"_

Their proximity was still flustering him, and it wasn't helping that those indigo eyes were holding him so searchingly, and, he realized with a jolt, so affectionately... Shinichi suddenly felt he could barely breathe. _What's wrong with me? Why does he unnerve me so much? _

And then, with a low rumble, a purr, Shinichi identified, Kaito gently rubbed his cheek against Shinichi's neck, licking him gently at its base before pulling back and winking. "We didn't finish our dinner, you know, Shin-chan~"

Shinichi just watched him swagger away, his tail wagging in a showy way Shinichi just _knew _was intentional, but the neko detective stayed where he was for a minute to attempt to gain some mastery over just _what _was going on. Besides the whole cat thing, that is.

Because, yes, he could blame the form for certain things…but why was he this flustered? Was it just his human self not being used to the innocently affectionate behavior of other animals? Or was he just not used to overly affectionate behavior in general? Or was it…something else?

With a sigh, he decided the whole matter needed more time, more thought, and more information before anything like a real answer could be determined. Fact: He was trapped as a cat…and not even a full-grown cat, but a terrifyingly vulnerable, fragile little kitten. Fact: Kaito was the only person who knew who he was, and who saw him, looking as he did, as his human self. Fact: Kaito was in the same situation, and likely was dealing with similar issues, no matter how well he hid them. Fact: Kaito was amusing, and Shinichi didn't mind his company, exactly…

Quite the opposite, really. But he wasn't going to let himself admit that, either.

His heart somewhat relieved after ironing out, bullet-point style, the current insanity, Shinichi crept around the couch and joined Kaito where he was waiting patiently for him by the milk bowl, to finish their 'dinner.'

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><p>oOo<p>

After Ran was satisfied the kittens knew where to find their food/water bowls and kitty litter (though she'd wondered at the way the blue-eyed cat had absolutely bolted after being presented with the latter), she presented, with some bravado, a little cat bed. "Look guys! It's the perfect size for you two to snuggle together in!" (Shinichi had cringed at this, vowing silently that he would most certainly be seeking out some warm rug or pillow to curl up on instead) She then, beaming the whole time, commenced to present them with a slough of little cat toys.

Shinichi had sat as patiently as he could so as not to hurt Ran's feelings, but his tail was whapping the floor in impatience and boredom. _Where's a nice book when I need one? Oh, but it's not like I'd be able to lift it to read it or…turn the pages easily or anything, anyway. This really sucks…_

Kaito, noticing Shinichi's glum humor, scurried over to him, nudging him on the side of the head to get his attention. "_Shiiiin-chan!"_

"_What?" _Shinichi asked, sighing as he did so, and attempting not to meet Kaito's eyes.

"_Let's play something!"_

"_I am not playing with a damn cat toy, Kaito. I'm not stooping that low."_

"_I wasn't talking about that. There are plenty of things to do with two people…but now that you mention it, some of the things Ran-chan bought look like we could manipulate them to be fun…"_

Shinichi stared at him, clearly none-too-impressed. "_Why am I not surprised? Kaitou Kid does play with doves after all. Guess it would make sense for him to share other interests with cats, as well," _he smirked.

To Shinichi's surprise, though, Kaito did not respond with his usual joking quip, but became suddenly tense, a dark shadow passing over his eyes. Shinichi frowned, and leaned closer, unnerved by this uncharacteristic behavior. _"Kaito? What's wrong? Did I…say something wrong?"_

Kaito let out a slow breath and gave Shinichi the benefit of a half-glance and a shake of the head, but then looked down at his paws, eyes faraway. "_Those doves, you know…I raised them all, and their parents and grandparents…dad took them in and trained them up. We've always given them a place to stay, and I just…they're part of my family, you know? Especially after dad…" _

He paused, and gulped, and Shinichi just nodded, understanding there was more to this, but rather than push him, Shinichi just silently let him know he was listening and that he should take his time.

"_Well, if we can't get out of this…I mean, I'm sure someone will take care of them, but…they won't know. And, sure. They're animals, and maybe they won't understand, really, what's going on, but they'll still wonder. They'll still feel something at being abandoned…"_

"_Kai-"_ Shinichi started, but Kaito cut him off with a little nervous twitch of his ear. _"Thinking about them just makes me think about everyone else, and …how many people will wonder, but won't __**know. **__How can we let them know, Shinichi?"_

Shinichi stared at him, something within him moving at being confronted so sincerely and …hearing such private thoughts and feelings from _him_. It wasn't just that he was Kaitou Kid. Shinichi had the feeling that Kaito just wasn't one to open up to others easily, in general...and the fact that he was being so bald facedly sincere struck a deep chord in him.

"_I…understand, Kaito. Thanks to this damn transformation, a lot of people are going to suffer-not just us. But you know…" _And Kaito looked him in the eye_. "That's just more reason for us to take this head-on, right? It's difficult, sure. It's insane, yeah. But…if there were a poison to do this to us in the first place, there must be a way to turn back. Right?"_

At this, Kaito lifted his eyes and met Shinichi's, and an understanding seemed to pass between them, as if a bridge had been drawn, linking them, eye to eye…Slowly, he nodded_. "So, you really think that?"_

Unable to stand it much longer, that vulnerable, broken tone which just didn't belong in Kaito's voice, Shinichi pressed closer and gently rubbed his cheek against his before resting his chin on the thief-neko's head_. "I promise you, Kaito. I won't give up. Not just for us, but for everyone else who might worry, or might suffer, thanks to those bastards. But remember…" _And nuzzling him again, this time right behind his ear, a soft spot that made Kaito mewl lightly in response, he said_, "They're the ones who are responsible for everything. It's them we need to take out our anger and pain on. Don't hold it all in, Kaito. We're in this together, you know…"_

At this, Kaito backed up a little to look at Shinichi more directly, and the thief-neko's eyes were wide-open in wonder, looking at Shinichi as if seeing him for the first time_. "Shi-Shinichi…" _And then he pressed closer, and pressed his head into Shinichi's neck, letting the solid weight support him until he felt somewhat less shaky. Pulling back, he took several light breaths, and looked at Shinichi with much less clouded eyes; they looked almost violet the way the light glanced off of them.

"_Thank you," _he said quietly, and Shinichi just made a little acknowledging movement with his ears and tail, blinking twice to show he accepted Kaito's sentiments sincerely. But then, with a little smirk which made them both think of Kaito's night-persona, Shinichi said_"but you know…it isn't like we're helpless. We should be able to cause some major damage. Don't you think? And I'm sure there's something we can do to convince our friends that we're…around." _

At this, Kaito smirked back, and the uncommon seriousness was replaced by the magician's usual optimism and humor. Laughing lightly, he leaned back and looped a paw semi-awkwardly around Shinichi's neck, an action he received a serious glare for, and he whispered, _"I can't hug you too well. Let this be a replacement."_

Shinichi stared at him in bemusement for a second before shaking him off, but a slight smile found its way onto his features nonetheless.

"_So," _Kaito said, suddenly businesslike_, "What about that game?"_

Shinichi sighed_. "Damn. Thought you would have forgotten about that…"_

"_Sorry, Shin-chan~ No such luck!" _Kaito said, laughing_._

As if on cue, Ran took that moment to set down her homework and crouch down between them_. _"I realize, I haven't even named you guys yet! Not sure what Shinichi's been calling you…you don't have collars or anything, and the jerk just isn't picking up his cell phone!" She glared a little bit, but her face softened again when she returned to looking at the kittens.

"So…hmmm…what should I call you?"

Gently, she lifted them up, one at a time, examining their features before lifting them above her head. Smiling and setting them back down on the floor, Ran said, "Oh, you were brothers? Sorry about that, guys! Hmm…male cat names, then.."

As the significance of just how and why Ran had suddenly come to discover their sexes hit the two tiny no-longer-humans, a thick cloud of mortification began to swallow them. Or, at least, one of them. For though even someone with as liberal a space bubble as Kaito drew the line when someone was to pointedly stare at and announce observations about his anatomy to the room…this was cast aside in light of Shinichi's much more serious reaction.

As it was, he appeared to be going catatonic.

"_Ne, Shin-chan. Shin-chan!" _Kaito nosed his shoulder, but Shinichi, unable to lift his gaze to acknowledge those around him, simply half-collapsed on top of an amused Kaito. This position didn't last long, however, as he soon leapt up, hissing and dashing to hide behind the leg of a table to separate himself from his too affectionately attentive pillow.

After a few minutes of Ran muttering to herself about possible cat names, and Shinichi trying to ignore the *puss in boots* expressions Kaito kept sending his way, he sighed and joined them again, though determinedly kept his eyes averted from Kaito's in a pout.

At one point during the name discussion, Shinichi's eyes widened in horror_. "Hell NO I am not going to be called Mr. Snuggles!" _He shot a dirty look at Kaito, for this name was one of many supplied by said neko-thief, who had decided to whisper an 'alternate' list of names in Shinichi's ear while Ran gave her own more serious considerations…

"_But Shiniiichi, it fits you so well! You ARE a good snuggler, after all~" And he winked._

"_F off, Kaito," _Shinichi hissed, sighing when this only served to make the little grey kitten even more hyper as he light-footedly danced around him, tail wagging excitedly.

"_You are seriously having too much fun with this, Kaito…" _Shinichi muttered, but despite himself, the little neko-thief's enthusiasm was contagious, and he felt himself relaxing and chuckling at him as he practiced little cat-acrobatics around the room.

"Oh, I know!" Ran announced suddenly. "For you…" and she crouched down by Kaito, stroking him from his head to the base of his tail, "How about Masaaki? It means True brightness… and you kind of remind me of a miniature sun, to be honest…So full of endless energy." She smiled, and Kaito made a little, bright sound of approval before rubbing against her leg to show his appreciation. "And for you," she said, turning to Shinichi, gently running a finger along his little figure. "I think Makoto sounds nice-sincere or true. Don't you think it fits?"

_Could have been a lot worse, _Shinichi admitted to himself_._ To express this sentiment, he rubbed his head affectionately against her palm, and she laughed, gently lifting him in her arms to hug him against her chest. "So, Mako-chan," she said, absolutely beaming at him, (_okay…mako-chan, I'm not as okay with_, he sighed), do you and Aki-chan want to play with one of your new toys?"

A shake of the head did nothing, and he was not about to scratch his unsuspecting childhood friend, so Shinichi simply hung there, limply, in her hand as she happily fished out a long pole with a little mouse toy attached by a string to its end. With a smile, Ran set Shinichi down beside Kaito and began to swing the little mouse-on-a-stick in their faces. Shinichi would have liked to have said he'd rolled his eyes, and had let her have her fun until finding a nice corner to curl up in, perhaps from an angle so he could glimpse a case file or newspaper article.

In reality, however, the snarky comment Shinichi made to Kaito over the insanity of asking them to play with cat toys was cut off suddenly. Firstly, by how Kaito was obviously not paying attention to him, but rather staring ahead, eyes intent, pupils tracking back and forth quickly.

Sighing, honestly embarrassed for the ex-thief, Shinichi followed his gaze to where Ran was dangling the toy, making it jump in odd directions-left, right, up, down…The damn toy just wouldn't sit still! Shinichi narrowed his eyes, creeping closer as he smirked, predicting where it would land next, but before he could do anything, there it was, off again! Deep in his throat, he made a low growling noise, but his eyes didn't leave the toy itself. Crouching down, he inched forward, noticing vaguely he wasn't alone.

"_Sorry, Kaito, it's mine!" _He smirked over at the grey striped kitten who fruitlessly leaped at the mouse toy in response. _I can do better than that,_ Shinichi thought. Readying his haunches, Shinichi said in a mewling battle-cry, _"Watch this, Kai!" _and leapt into the air, heading straight for it-he had it right between his paws- _Yes! _But then, the stubborn thing bounced up and away from him on its string. It was infuriating!

Laughing, Ran brought the toy between the two cats, and they jumped at once, aiming for the same target, but ended up landing into each other, a tangled mass of furry limbs, on the ground as they frantically searched for it.

"Oh, I feel bad," Ran said…"Here, how's this?" And she disconnected the toy from the string, plopping it between them. Instantly, Kaito had it in his mouth, but Shinichi, stalking him from behind, pounced suddenly and landed on Kaito's back.

"_No you don't, Shinichi!" Kaito _growled, rolling over and around on his back to try to rub off his over-large tick. But Shinichi wasn't about to give up that easily. Scrambling out from beneath Kaito, he crawled onto his stomach and up to Kaito' mouth, which still held the little mouse toy. Growling lightly, Shinichi said_, "Give it up, Kai. It's my turn."_

And then they began to roll around and around, paws and claws scratching, growls and mews almost constant, until, the mouse itself forgotten, the two kittens had found themselves exhausted and slumped over each other.

Smiling down at them, Ran gently lifted them, one at a time, and positioned them carefully in the fuzzy cat bed. "Here you go, Aki-chan," she whispered to Kaito, placing him, stretched out, along the sides of the circular bed. Quietly whispering "Mako-chan," she lifted Shinichi and placed him, adjusting him so she was satisfied he'd be warm, in the crux of Kaito's legs, letting the half-circle of Kaito's form surround as much of his tiny body as possible. Leaning down, she stroked them both gently before turning off the lights and going to sleep herself.

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><p>oOo<p>

When Shinichi woke up at some point during the night, he was surprised to feel warmth and comfort seeping into every crevice of his consciousness. Snuggling closer to the source of warmth, he suddenly felt an even warmer, even more comforting sensation. The warm presence was massaging him in an incredible way, letting him know he was utterly safe, completely protected. In deep contentment, he let his body relax, and let out a loud, even purr as he snuggled further into the warmth, automatically licking his source of comfort back. Then the body before him began to purr as well, and Shinichi felt a wave of happy contentment wash over him.

It was then that he woke up a little more fully, and noticed that he was pressed tightly up against the soft white-grey fur of Kaito's chest. A warm tongue was still working in his ear, and part of him wanted to pull back, but...

Moving slightly to look up at Kaito, Shinichi's eyes widened. The grey kitten looked so peaceful as he went about his ministrations, and then he noticed that the little thief's paws, stretched out at odd angles, were all clutching to him in one way or another.

It was odd how safe he felt in Kaito's grip; despite how well he knew the reality of their current forms' drawbacks and weaknesses, he couldn't bring himself to worry about any of it at that instant. Some pervading, even if not totally rational, instinct just told him he was safe now, and it was a relief to believe that instinct…and then he felt it again-that unsurpassable, perfect feeling of Kaito licking behind his ear with his scratchy tongue...

Shinichi melted to the touch, and instantly purred more loudly, suddenly not caring what anyone thought-not caring what he, himself, thought. All he knew was that Kaito's touch on his neck was pure heaven. Snuggled securely in his soft limbs, Shinichi drifted off once again.

When he next woke up, he was lounging almost entirely on top of Kaito, but the thief-neko seemed to have finally satisfied himself with having performed enough coddling ministrations. With a sudden rush of human awareness, Shinichi felt a guilty kind of squirming sensation in his gut as it occurred to him just how…close they had been…behaving. It made him metaphorically blush to the roots of his hair_…_

Eying the innocent, sleeping face of the grey striped kitten with apprehension, Shinichi sighed and pulled back, as careful as he could be not to wake him. With a second, stronger impulse to blush, it vaguely occurred to Shinichi what it would mean, how he would feel, if that previous interaction had played out with them in their human bodies...

The thought mortified him and brought a sleugh of other thoughts and feelings he wasn't sure how to deal with forward so violently that he responded by quickly pushing off of Kaito and scrambling backwards off of the cat bed. He then felt a sharp, needlelike _something _latching onto him, holding him back. Glancing around, he noticed that one of Kaito's paws had moved with him, and a claw had extended, hooking into Shinichi's side, in what looked like an attempt to keep him there. Shinichi shook his head at the sleeping kitten and his limbs which seemed to work even when the thief himself was off-duty. Unhooking the claw by taking Kaito's paw gently in his mouth and setting it back down on the bed, he himself hopped up onto the couch to curl up alone for the remainder of the early-morning hours.

He eventually fell asleep, but...though he tried not to dwell on it, he really missed Kaito's warmth. The feel of his soft body against his just made it so much easier to fall asleep…

* * *

><p>oOO<p>

The next morning, Shinichi woke to two indigo eyes staring straight into his from above. With a little surprised cry, he squeaked, jumping to press against the back of the couch. Kaito responded by simply closing in again, tilting his head at him questioningly. "_Why did you leave last night, Shinichi_?"

"_Huh_?"

Shinichi was definitely somewhat disturbed by the way Kaito had said that-as if he'd stood him up or something! (that this thought even passed Shinichi's mind made the detective wonder further about his own sanity)...and it made him squirm internally with guilt and…something else. Something odd-feeling but…not entirely unpleasant, either. Something not unlike the butterflies one feels before a big performance.

To Kaito, though, Shinichi said, sighing, "_Listen. Maybe we look like cats, but we aren't, Kaito, and you can forget that. We're 17-year-old males for god sakes and just…you **are** seventeen, right_?" Shinichi checked quickly, and Kaito nodded…"_just, how can you be comfortable acting that way? I mean_…" He stopped, his words and feelings tangling with each other, knotting themselves until they only added to the tangled mass of awkwardness and confusion already settled in his chest.

To Shinichi's surprise, Kaito's face once again took on a more serious, more thoughtful look than he was used to seeing on it. He seemed to be seriously considering Shinichi's words, but then he sighed, and Shinichi seriously began to get worried. _"Uh, Kaito?"_

"_You might call me crazy, Shinichi, but…it isn't just me trying to take advantage, you know…"_

Shinichi felt the traitorous blush desiring, once again, to show its face. And Kaito's sincere tone, even as it was delivered by a soft, musical mew, made him feel almost incapable of turning his eyes from him.

"_I know I joke around a lot, Shinichi, but you do realize that, if you weren't with me, I'd probably be pretty much in hell right now, right?"_

Shinichi's breath hitched at this statement, and his eyes narrowed as he shifted somewhat, his gaze suddenly filling with questions for the thief.

"_I mean…I'm having fun with it, in a way. There's nothing else to do but to have fun with it if we can. Otherwise…well, you just have to make the best of what you have. But I guess I've become kind of…overprotective…" _He chuckled lightly, though Shinichi could hear its harsh undertones.

"_You mean-"_

"_I mean-and I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty or anything, Shinichi, I'm just trying to be honest. I had some odd dreams last night, and when I woke up, I thought I could grope around and convince myself that the dream wasn't real... that you were still…" _He gulped_. "But you weren't there, and it…really scared me."_

Looking up somewhat sheepishly, Kaito said in a quiet little flattened meow_, "I sound like an idiot, don't I?"_

Shinichi's heart was pounding in his head as Kaito finished and he processed his words… "_N, no_…" For a while, he just regarded him, shocked by the level of feeling, of care and concern he suddenly found himself feeling for this person he had known for such a short time-a short time, the first meeting of which the height of their interaction had been Shinichi shooting a gun at Kaito's trick clock-face… But Kaito really _did_ seem to care. And Shinichi suddenly found himself feeling he could return those sentiments, at least, quite naturally.

And when he thought about it, just where would he be without Kaito? Maybe he would have been carted off in that van, left to rot at the pound…or worse…Shinichi shuddered. Even assuming he'd been able to escape anyway, though…and that, perhaps, Ran had found him sitting, shivering and wet on his own doorstep, and had taken him in…

Sure, he'd be safe-kind of. Momentarily…and where he needed to be…again, kind of. But as he had quickly come to realize, being with Ran was just not the same when she didn't see him as himself. Though that is, itself, entirely too obvious, perhaps…It hit Shinichi suddenly how he hadn't really had to deal with the full impact of it, of so much of the potential pain of this situation. And that was undeniably…because Kaito was always there. Even if, for instance, Ran saw him as no more than a cute little innocent kitten, Kaito knew him, and could speak to him, and tease him and…

It just shocked him how extraordinarily easy this crazy life transition had been so far, in great part thanks to Kaito. Not to say everything was easy, but... Suddenly, he felt almost embarrassed that the biggest thing on his mind this morning had been to harass Kaito about being too touchy-feely. If he had the time to worry about such inconsequential matters of embarrassment and the results of the odd mixture of dependent kitten and teenage male hormones… then things clearly weren't that bad...or they just hadn't hit him. Nor would they need to-unless Kaito were no longer there with him.

If Kaito weren't with him, he would be alone in this messed-up fate, and lonely without anyone to talk to as himself (or to talk to in any way at all). Perhaps he would be entertaining worries about losing himself in his break from being human, or feeling utterly useless as he tried to take on, by himself, in the body of a 5-inch-long kitten, life-destroying criminals who, from what he'd overheard, seemed to belong to some major shadow syndicate…

Just thinking along this thread threatened to overwhelm him, and he felt a dark clutch on his heart. At the same time, they made him feel a sudden rush of incredible, powerful gratitude for Kaito, for his being there with him…and perhaps a rush of that-what had Kaito called it? Overprotectiveness? Yeah. He thought he could understand, somewhat, what he'd meant…

Expression softer, he looked up at Kaito, who had been watching him nervously all the while he'd been pacing in circles, lost in his thoughts. At the look in Shinichi's eyes, Kaito visibly relaxed, and Shinichi instantly gravitated over to him. Sitting down in front of him, he blinked and slowly stroked Kaito's side with his paw in an awkward attempt at a human gesture. Not feeling the need to say anything, Shinichi then just let his eyes track over to rest on Kaito's, and Kaito blinked at him, a sudden look of contentment taking him, and he leaned in a little, a loud purr surging forward from his chest. Then, slowly, he leaned forward further and touched their noses together.

Shinichi's heart pounded, his insides squirming as his human mind interpreted the affection and contentment his cat body exuded at this soft, subtle contact. Nose touching was clearly a sign of a close relationship between cats, and it warmed him suddenly, fiercely, knowing that Kaito had expressed just that. From the look in his eyes, it was clear the thief knew the significance of his actions, and neither felt the need to say anything further. In the soft contact and shared gazes, they knew they could leave much unspoken without it going un-understood…

Rubbing his head against Shinichi's once more, Kaito then suddenly took off into the next room, winking back at him, asking him to follow with his excitedly twitching tail held high.

Kaito's return to good humor made a part of Shinichi swell in contentment. A part of himself he'd never really been aware of before-but a part of him which had gone numb and cold from the instant Kaito's stabilizing light had flickered. Though it scared him a little how much he had come to depend on that light, it wasn't an entirely bad kind of fear. It was just foreign. Just new. It was a fear which seemed to make things more weighty, which increased his reaction to so many little things.

Just now, for instance. Kaito's ridiculous back-flip from the couch made Shinichi want to collapse in laughter, and the affected pout the neko-thief put on at the bored look Shinichi plastered back onto his face made his heart clench in amusement and an odd sort of powerful happiness…Everything be damned, at least now, for this moment, he could laugh, despite everything. At least now, he wasn't alone. Shinichi made an almost unconscious pledge to appreciate things more as he silently reasserted his determination to beat those who had tried to take everything from him, but who, perhaps, had unintentionally given him just what he needed...and boy would they regret it.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading! KaiShinny chapter...hope it was fun! I'm curious to know whether I'm totally failing at drawing the whole cat instincts thing...and if their 'relationship' seems to be developing too quickly due to my not getting things across clearly enough. But obviously, the take-home message (well, one of them) is that they are basically two people trapped on a lifeboat, only able to really relate to each other...and that's emotionally taxing and bond-forming. At the same time, they have the innate physical bond-forming cat instincts working with them...so anyway. Sorry for the ramble. Just trying to sort out my thoughts~!<p>

I really hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know! Thanks so much!

tess4aria


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